Investigations on passive Temperature-Cycling Robustness of novel Interconnection Element for low-inductive Power Modules

Low inductance and high power density are common technical optimization parameters for power electronics modules. In previous works we presented a novel power module design which solely utilizes readily available interconnection technologies. This work presents first results on its expected passive temperature cycle performance for temperature shock tests (-40 °C to +125 °C). We show that a performance of at least 1000 cycles is well within reach of this design. A hard potting material is necessary for sufficient thermomechanical robustness as it reduces the maximum first principal stress by roughly 50 %. We identified the distance between the interconnection elements and the mechanical properties of the potting material as key design parameters. The presented novel design offers a cost-efficient and sufficiently reliable alternative to currently known and used designs.